SNL

The unfortunate and untimely death of the great Jan Hooks this past week sent the comedy world into mourning, with countless writers and comics stepping forward to pay tribute to the late 'SNL' star. It could have been easy for this week's new episode to gloss over the passing of one of their own (it is a comedy show, after all), but 'SNL' has always been a slightly class institution -- it remembers those who came before.

We've got some sad news today as we've learned that Jan Hooks, former star of 'Saturday Night Live,' has passed away at the age of 57. Hooks, who was a member of the cast from 1986 to 1991, also starred on the hit sitcom 'Designing Women,' and more recently played Jenna's mom on episodes of '30 Rock.'

These days 'SNL' movies are a bit few and far between (come on, 'MacGruber 2'!), but at least some of their success lives on with legendary classics like 'Wayne's World or 'The Blues Brothers.' There have been 11 'SNL' movies total over the course of the last 40 years, but how well do you think you know the late-night sketch comedy legend's cinematic history? Test your knowledge with the latest installment of ‘You Think You Know Movies?‘

As is often the case, the weirdest sketch from last night's 'SNL' season premiere was easily the funniest in the entire show. The latest in Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney's series of truly strange sketches and shorts, the scene is an exacting parody of lousy '90s television that sidesteps all obvious jokes in favor of making fun of a very specific kind of TV show.

Of the many changes in store for the 40th season of 'SNL,' none would prove so heartbreaking as the loss of beloved announcer Don Pardo, who passed away earlier this year. No one could ever replace Pardo's distinct intonation announcing every 'SNL' installment, though the new voice of the sketch comedy series will at least be a familiar one, as distinguished alum Darrell Hammond takes the mic.

Early reports on 'SNL' season 40's inaugural three hosts pegged 'Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt and comedian Sarah Silverman, though it seems reports of series alum Bill Murray were only half-right. 'SNL' has indeed tapped a legendary departed cast member for its third season 40 host, that of more recent alumni Bill Hader!

Former 'SNL' head writer Seth Meyers has made it his business to bring some of those sketches cut from 'SNL' to his own 'Late Night' show, and the results have so far been uproarious. While Will Forte's cut bit got the full sketch treatment a few months ago, Bill Hader didn't need those same bells and whistles. After all, his snipped sketch just involved him putting on a weirdly nuanced impression of '60 Minutes' anchor Bob Simon.

Tracy Morgan ('30 Rock,' 'Saturday Night Live') is in critical condition after a six-vehicle accident on the New Jersey Turnpike early Saturday morning. Morgan had been riding in a limo bus from Dover, Delaware where he performed Friday night.

When Andy Samberg was a cast member on 'SNL,' he routinely set the internet on fire with his digital shorts, but none were as popular as his Lonely Island music videos, which saw him, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone performing hip-hop music that often sounded like the real thing. Well, at least it would sound like the real thing if the subject matter wasn't totally crazy. With Samberg performing

After taking a few  weeks off, 'SNL' will return this coming Saturday (when else?) to kick off the first of the 39th season's final three installments, webbing up 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' star Andrew Garfield for his first hosting gig, along with Coldplay's fifth appearance on the series. The first promos have arrived with Bobby Moynihan, but how does Garfield stack up against his 'Spider-Man' c

'SNL' will take a bit of a break this weekend following 'Neighbors' star Seth Rogen's third time hosting, returning on May 3 with 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2''s Andrew Garfield, but consider the long-running NBC sketch comedy to have much larger plans in mind for the future: an epic, star-studded, three-hour broadcast in February 2015 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of 'Saturday Night Live'! Read

Sometimes, 'SNL' creates a sketch that aims for a very specific demographic and just goes all-out in its attempt to win over that specific audience. We can argue as to whether or not this 'The Little Mermaid' sketch starring guest host Anna Kendrick is successful, but it's the kind of thing that was certainly designed to appeal to viewers who grew up with Disney, have a thing for 'Pitch Perfect,'